“Why does my new Shure Beta 87 lack the heat of my outdated Shure Beta 58?” This was the essential query to me in an e mail final week: how can two microphones sound so completely different? The reply begins with a look at our outdated buddy, the common ol’ Shure SM57.
Over the weekend, I visited a church that had just lately migrated from an digital drum set to an acoustic set, they usually bought their first drum microphone package. Earlier than the service, I checked out the drum microphone placement and was shocked to see one thing apart from a Shure SM57 on the snare.
A fast word, the SM57 isn’t the one snare mic possibility, however it’s one many individuals use, so my shock was solely that they had been utilizing one thing else. It wasn’t a judgement.
The drum package was the brand new Shure PGADRUMKIT7. Sure, that’s the official identify and I hate it. It’s like saying I purchased the brand new Ford MUSTANGSPORTSCAR6. Seven microphones, six cylinders. Which, by the best way, I didn’t. Transferring on …
The PGADRUMKIT7 (sigh) features a PGA52, three PGA56s, two PGA81s and a PGA57. Not an SM57, however a PGA57. The PGA line is the economic system line, so the PGA57 retails for round $54USD whereas the SM57 retails round $99.
Related however Completely different
The SM57 and the PGA57 are good for snare drums, however what’s the distinction? Is there a distinction? Heck, WHY is there a distinction?
Each are dynamic cardioid microphones with the identical sensitivity, impedance and with solely a four-gram weight distinction. However then issues change.
The PGA57 has a frequency vary of 70 to fifteen,000Hz. whereas the SM57 is 40 to fifteen,000Hz. At this level, the SM57 can assist a wider vary. Not an unlimited distinction, however it’s a begin.
The polar sample response chart is comparable in each, although from what I may discover, the main points proven for the PGA57 are just for a response at 1000Hz in order that’s what I in contrast. The quantity of frequency detection, at the same time as a cardioid, differs based mostly on the place the sound is detected and its frequency. This may be seen beneath for the SM57 after which the PGA57. (Sorry in regards to the readability—for some cause, Shure doesn’t standardize product specs so I needed to seize one from their website online and one other from a PDF spec sheet. )
